New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election speech in Rajasthan's Banswara has stirred controversy over his references to Muslims, with leaders of the Opposition bloc INDIA calling the speech an attempt to divert attention from "real issues".

At the rally on Sunday, PM Modi stated, "This 'urban Naxal' mindset, mothers and sisters, they will not even leave your 'mangalsutra'. They can go to that level... The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, get information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom - Manmohan Singh's government had said Muslims have the first right on the country's assets."

"Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country's assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children. It will be distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?"

"Is it acceptable to you? Do governments have the right to confiscate your property which you have earned through hard work? The gold with our mothers and sisters is not for showing off; it is related to their self-respect. The value of their mangalsutra is not in gold or its price, but is related to her dreams in life. And you are talking about snatching it?" PM Modi said.

However, a closer examination of the statements made by the former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh reveals a different picture. Singh stated, "I believe our collective priorities are clear: agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities and women and children. The component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will need to be revitalized. We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources. The Centre has a myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the over-all resource availability."

It is evident from Singh's statements that SC/ST/OBC/women/children are mentioned along with minorities, especially Muslims. Even the contentious words ‘first claim on resources’ are prefaced by underlining ‘collective priorities’ and the need to ‘share equitably’. Singh's remarks are a reiteration of a constitutional commitment to the equality of citizenship and affirmative action.

This episode raised questions about Prime Minister Modi's speech, with thousands of activists and social media users criticizing the Prime Minister of communalizing the election season as his statements seemed to take Dr. Manmohan Singh's words out of context, creating a false narrative to gain political advantage. Critics argue that this is another attempt by the BJP to distract from substantial issues and manipulate public opinion.

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Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.

According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.

Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.

Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.

The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.